


prettier and younger (but not any better off)

by majesdane



Category: Degrassi RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-13
Updated: 2007-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-08 01:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/437829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesdane/pseuds/majesdane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Sometimes Deanna comes in and doesn't talk to her.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	prettier and younger (but not any better off)

_"I love working with Lauren. I feel more comfortable working with her than anybody else . . . We've worked with each other so much now. We know how each other works."_ \- Deanna Casaluce

 

 

"I auditioned for your part," the dark-haired girl says, extending a hand, and Lauren's quite sure that she's never met anyone who made her feel _this_ uncomfortable in under five seconds.

"Don't worry; no hard feelings," the older girl finally adds, when she senses Lauren's discomfort. "I just think it's sort of amusing, you know?"

"Oh, right," Lauren says, shaking her hand, feeling like an idiot. The dark-haired girl's hand is warm and soft in her own, and she feels almost reluctant to pull away. When at last she does, albeit, much too soon, she introduces herself.

"Hey, I'm Deanna," the girl says, and gives Lauren a small smile. "And I'm playing Alex, although you probably already know that."

"Well, you already know that I play Paige, so I guess we're even then, huh?"

Deanna grins, and Lauren feels a bit dizzy, but that's probably because it's about a thousand degrees inside the studio right now, and she really hasn't been hydrating herself properly, as the producers are always telling them to do.

They stand there for a minute, in the awkward silence that always follows introductions. Finally Deanna says, "Well, I've got to go get ready for rehearsal, so, see you around?"

"Yeah, sure," Lauren says, and Deanna leaves with a nod and a smile.

Lauren doesn't watch her go.

\- - - - -

"So, work buddy, what's up?" Lauren says, as she slides into the seat next to Deanna at lunch. "Enjoying your slowly developing plot line?"

"Slowly is not quite the word, I don't think," Deanna says, and Lauren laughs.

"Don't worry, hun. It's only your first season. Just give it some time; I'm sure in a few seasons you'll be a bigger character than anyone else here."

Deanna chuckles, and swallows her bite of sandwich, taking a sip of her Coke. "Did you just call me 'hun'?" She asks incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I?" Lauren frowns, but she isn't really surprised. "Sorry, sometimes I think Paige takes over when I talk, you know? After a while, I'm not sure which is my way of speaking and which is hers. After a while, you start to turn into your character."

"Well, you're as preppy as her anyway, so it's not that big of a loss," Deanna says, though not unkindly.

\- - - - - -

When Lauren gets the script for an episode mid-way through the season, she's both surprised and pleased to discover that Paige is going to get a job at the mall and start working with Alex, only because she thinks Deanna's a terrific actress, and she really wants to get to know her better.

But to her disappointment, she hardly gets to work with Deanna at all for the next few weeks; she only sees her when they're shooting scenes together, and then Deanna scampers off for the rest of the day, saying that she needs to work or she has to get to class.

"She's not avoiding you," Stacey tells her over the phone that evening. "She's just busy. Why are you being so paranoid about this anyway?"

"I'm not being paranoid," Lauren says, defensively. "I just don't think that she likes me very much, is all. And I'm not sure why."

Lauren can imagine Stacey sitting at her desk, rolling her eyes at her last statement.

"Look, Lauren, if you're that worried, why don't you just go talk to her about it?"

Stacey is forever the voice of reason.

\- - - - -

"No, I don't hate you," Deanna tells her the next day, when Lauren corners her in her dressing room before shooting. "In fact, I don't even _dislike_ you. I think you're one of the coolest people here."

"Seriously?" Suddenly Lauren feels very relieved and very flattered.

"No, I'm lying," Deanna says, rolling her eyes at Lauren's disbelief. "Of _course_ seriously." She pauses for a moment, as she fixes her hair, looking at her reflection in in the small mirror taped inside her locker. "We should hang out, in fact," she adds, closing her locker with a soft clang. "You know, get to know each other better."

Lauren shrugs and says, "Sure, if you want. Just give me a call whenever - do you have my cell phone number?"

Deanna does, in fact, and Lauren's a tiny bit confused, because she can't recall ever actually giving her number to Deanna. But the brunette could have gotten it from pretty much anyone on the cast, so, maybe she'd just gotten everyone's number from Mike or someone else, instead of going around and bugging everyone individually.

Deanna calls her that weekend, and they go to the mall together. Lauren laughs and tells Deanna that she usually goes shopping at outlet stores or small stores, because she loves to get things that are unique.

"And they're cheap," she adds with a giggle, when they're sitting in the food court sharing a basket of fries, and Deanna smiles, kicking her playfully under the table.

" _You're_ cheap," Deanna tells her, and Lauren pretends to be all shocked and hurt, but this only makes Deanna laugh harder and makes Lauren blush and feel flustered.

\- - - - -

The fourth season comes to an end and Lauren and Deanna don't see each other all summer, because Lauren's working on a new movie with Antonio Banderas and Deanna is taking some college courses over the summer to make up for some time missed during the regular school year. Lauren occasionally sends her emails and Deanna answers them (sometimes) but they're both really too busy to talk.

But the summer ends and shooting for the fifth season begins, and it's almost as if they'd seen each other the entire summer, because Lauren doesn't feel uncomfortable around Deanna at all.

And she can't argue that she's at all unhappy when they find out that Paige and Alex are going to start dating.

\- - - - -

Sometimes Deanna comes in and doesn't talk to her, instead shooting her icy glares from across the room.

With anyone else, Lauren would be worried, thinking that maybe she'd pissed them off in some way, shape or form. But things aren't like that with Deanna, even if she didn't always know it. When Deanna doesn't talk to her, it means that it's because Alex is mad at Paige, it doesn't mean that Deanna is mad at Lauren. The other cast members don't get it, but Lauren does. She knows how much Deanna cares about her character, she understands why Deanna acts how she does. For Deanna, getting into character is the most important aspect there is, and she takes it seriously.

So she hangs out with Stacey or Adamo on these days, because it's sort of impossible to hang out with someone who is currently not talking to you.

Stacey says, "Doesn't it get kind of awkward, her being like that?"

Lauren doesn't think so. Stacey's one of her best friends, but she doesn't have the same connection with Stacey as she does with Deanna. With Deanna, it's something all together different. They don't need to hang out all the time. They don't need to call each other on the weekends when they're not shooting and go out on an impromptu shopping trip. Anyway, Deanna's almost always working at the mall on weekends, so it's pretty much a moot point. And besides, Lauren has her own stuff going on, and if she really did want to hang out with some of her co-stars, she'd just call Stacey or Adamo or Aubrey or anyone else, for that matter.

\- - - - -

"School is kicking my ass right now," Deanna announces as she walks into the dressing room that Lauren shares with four other people. She flops down into the mattress tucked away in one corner.

"Why, what's up?" Lauren asks, looking up from the magazine she'd been reading.

Deanna groans. "Just school in general. I've got a twenty page paper due next Tuesday and I've barely got five pages written. That, and the amount of reading we have to do in one of my psychology classes is just ridiculous. I am going to be getting zero sleep this weekend."

"Well, if you ever want to take a break and just, you know, hang out for a bit, feel free to call," Lauren says, tossing aside the magazine and drawing her legs up to her chest, resting her head on her knees. "For once, I have a free weekend. It seems everyone has plans but me."

"I might take you up on that offer," Deanna says, with an easy smile. "Maybe."

They haven't properly hung out together for a while now. Deanna's been busy with college, Lauren with college applications. And their schedules just haven't been meshing properly recently; the only time they seem to be together is when they have to come to the studio to shoot a scene. So Lauren finds herself hoping that Deanna _will_ take her up on the offer, because it'd be nice to spend some time with her, just relaxing.

\- - - - -

Lauren's memorizing her script when her cell phone goes off, playing the opening chords of Death Cab for Cutie's "Sound of Settling". She puts the script aside and picks up her phone, checking the caller ID.

"Hey, Deanna," she says casually, flicking open her phone. "What's up?"

"Struggling to get this paper written," Deanna says. In the background, Lauren can hear the click-clacking of keys, and wonders how Deanna is able to talk and write an essay at the same time, because she never seems to be able to.

"Want to come over?" Lauren asks, stretching out on her bed. "We can order Chinese and watch a movie or do whatever. My parents are out, so it'll be nice and quiet."

"Honestly, you could suggest going to the moon right now and I'd probably say yes," Deanna says, laughing, her voice light and playful. "I'll be over in about an hour, okay? I really need to take a shower."

When Lauren hangs up, she finds herself surprisingly giddy, although she's not quite sure why. She chalks it up to the fact that she hasn't really hung out with Deanna in a while, and it'll be nice to catch up. That, and she's nearly bored to tears being home by herself and Deanna provides the perfect distraction, as she's really not in the mood to be memorizing lines, even if she is shooting a scene on Monday.

\- - - - -

The Chinese food has already arrived when Deanna finally comes, looking tired, her hair still damp from the shower. Lauren lets her in and Deanna kicks off her black and white Addidas sneakers that Lauren bought her for her birthday a month back, claiming that Deanna needed a pair of 'Alex shoes'.

She grins when Lauren presents her with the Chinese food, eagerly reaching for one of the boxes, because she's absolutely famished, having not eaten anything since the night before.

"Silly," Lauren scolds playfully, as Deanna takes a big bite of her Lo Mein, grinning ridiculously. "Don't you know you have to eat? Otherwise you'll wither away to nothing, and then who will play my carefree-yet-angst-ridden girlfriend? Paige is very particular about who she dates - don't make her be all sad."

"You're such a dork," Deanna laughs, and Lauren can't help but laugh as well.

"I love you too," she says, pretending to be angry, and Deanna flushes slightly and looks away.

"I didn't mean it," she protests, but Lauren laughs.

"I'm just teasing you; don't be so serious Dee," she says, and scrambles up, looking for a good movie to put in.

She's got her back turned to Deanna, but she knows that the girl is scowling at her. Deanna hates it when Lauren calls her 'Dee', even though Lauren insists that it's a cute nickname. No one else calls her that except Lauren, though, mostly because no one else knows about it. Lauren only uses the nickname when they hang out by themselves; she likes having something that's just hers.

\- - - - -

"I hope they end up together," Lauren says, and Deanna gives her an odd look.

"You mean Paige and Alex?" She scoffs knowingly. "Of course they will, are you kidding me? Look at how much they love each other."

Lauren flips through her copy of the latest script. "I know, but, I can't help but worry."

"You worry too much," Deanna tells her, tossing her own copy aside casually. "We've both talked to the writers. We both want them to end up together. They will; relax."

But Lauren's still worried. It isn't until they're shooting the last scene later that week and Deanna grabs her and kisses her that she believes that everything is going to work out all right. Deanna's kiss is quick and perfect, and as Lauren walks away and the director calls 'cut', she puts her fingers to her lips and closes her eyes.

And, for reasons she can't explain, she almost feels jealous of Paige, because she knows the kiss was meant for Paige and not her.


End file.
